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Old two story on Simpson demolished

By Erin Hart

The Daily World

Gene Yakovich of Gene Yakovich Jr. Trucking is demolishing the derelict building at 1701 Simpson Avenue on behalf of Grays Harbor County.

The county was asked to tear the building down by the city of Aberdeen after the county confiscated the building due to back taxes. The building once housed a Mexican grocery, a small restaurant and had apartments upstairs. The kitchens and bedrooms were visible as the walls were bitten away by the Komatsu excavator.

Tearing down the front was a bit “terrifying” he said on Tuesday, due to all the glass and a rotted beam. Still, he says he really enjoys getting paid to tear stuff down. “I have been tearing this up my whole life and now I get paid for it.”

Monday was the teardown, Tuesday is for breaking the building into smaller pieces, and the rubble will be hauled away in LeMay 100 foot trucks probably Wednesday and Thursday. “It should be finished this week,” Yakovich said.

The two story building was constructed in 1927 and sits on a large lot. Yakovich was the low bidder at $22,349 or half what the county thought demolition would cost. The county also spent $10,000 on asbestos removal.

Scammell Street off of Simpson and the entrances to Duffy’s restaurant off of Scammell were closed with orange cones.